Many people who have
peripheral arterial disease (PAD) don't have
symptoms.

If you do have symptoms, you may have a tight, aching,
or squeezing pain in your calf, thigh, or buttock. This pain, called
intermittent claudication, usually happens after you
have walked a certain distance.

Recommended Related to Heart Disease

Important
It is possible that the main title of the report Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

For example, your pain may always start after
you have walked a block or two or after a few minutes. The pain goes away if
you stop walking. As PAD gets worse, you may have pain in your foot or toe when
you aren't walking.

Only about 1 out of 5 people with PAD have intermittent claudication.1

Other symptoms of peripheral arterial disease of
the legs may include:

More severe symptoms, such as skin changes on the feet or legs, may be a sign of advanced PAD.

In this article

This information is produced and provided by the National
Cancer
Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National
Cancer
Institute via the Internet web site at http://
cancer
.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER.

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated:
January 27, 2014

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor.
Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this
information.